Three System Office employees were recognized last week with the 2023 President’s Awards for Excellence, which honors managers and staff members for their commitment to achieving Strategic Plan goals related
to affordability, accessibility, student success, economic impact, and excellent and diverse institutions.
“This year we had so many outstanding nominees that we could not possibly select only two people,” said President Peter Hans in his remarks. “So I’m pleased to say that we have two staff recipients for 2023, along with one manager.”
Honorees were (along with an excerpt from their nomination materials):
Ruth Brill, Legal Affairs: Ruth provides highly engaged and essential support to her team and colleagues with good cheer, aplomb, and a can-do mindset. Prior to the move to Raleigh, she nearly single-handedly sorted, processed, and readied for disposition nearly 20 years’ worth of paper files. This individual led the division’s move to a new file management platform, and also planned and executed the first in-person all-attorney meeting in the System in years, ahead of schedule and under budget, to rave reviews.
Heather Mayer, Project Management Office: 
Heather brings a practical, organized, and thoughtful approach to her work, and has an ability to handle difficult situations with remarkable patience and admirable tact. She successfully managed the rollout of the Common Numbering System project. She also assists business units and IT in working through the requirements and development process for the Student Data Mart, Finance Data Mart, and HR Data Mart, which allows key stakeholders to better track and inform the status on our strategic plan while improving the information available for decision making.
Fred Sellers, Safety and Enterprise Risk Management:
Fred conducts himself with the highest standards of professionalism and competence. He handles difficult issues with sensitivity, discretion, and compassion, and engages with colleagues with genuine warmth and respect. Since coming to the System Office in fall 2020, he has implemented new system-wide initiatives and strengthened others, including implementing the System’s first behavioral threat assessment training. He is on duty 24/7, fielding emergency calls from campuses at all hours of the day and night, always providing calm, steady leadership in a crisis. His work to forge strong partnerships with state and federal law enforcement agencies has brought invaluable support and assistance to our campuses when they need it most. He embodies the spirit of a servant leader – never accepting praise for himself, he is quick to give the credit to others. This leadership style empowers those he works with and inspires excellence in his colleagues across the UNC System.